Washington’s favorite guessing game — who will be Mitt Romney’s running mate? — is heating up along with the weather outside. The Washington Post notes one religion in particular keeps coming to the forefront: There has been a lot of talk this year concerning the role of evangelical Christians and Mormons on the Republican side, but considerably less about the key religious group for the 2012 GOP ticket: Catholics. For those who want to pretend religion isn’t a major factor... Read more
I missed this news this past weekend — I’m usually doing something else on Sunday mornings — but the announcement by the best-selling writer and longtime CBS News correspondent is worth noting. Bill Geist is a national treasure, and an all-around good guy. (On top of that — if memory serves — I believe his son’s wedding was presided over by a deacon.) Details: “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Bill Geist said going public with his recent Parkinson’s disease diagnosis was a... Read more
Word that the television icon, best known as the sheriff of Mayberry and father of Opie, has died at the age of 86. People tend to forget what a spellbinding actor he could be. His standout performance in Elia Kazan’s “A Face in the Crowd” is still a stunner — and the story itself, recounting how a small town drunk became a force in politics and media, remains eerily prescient, even prophetic. Check out the trailer below. RIP, Andy. Read more
A priest in Indianapolis reflects on how his life is about to change as, for the first time, he becomes a pastor: For the rest of my life until retirement, barring getting sent away for further schooling or something like that, I’ll be a pastor of a parish. It is kind of intimidating sitting here on the verge of it all waiting for it to get started. In the seminary, when I thought of life after ordination, it was just... Read more
On the day we remember the saint who doubted, a story from the Vatican notes that many in the mission country he visited are reportedly experiencing miraculous cures that are helping lead them to faith: Strange things are going on in the Indian diocese ofItangar and Mgr. John Kattrukudiyl spoke about them during a visit to Germany for the periodic meeting organised by Aid to the Church in Need, the international organisation that deals with churches and Christians in countries where they face the... Read more
And ice cream was involved: Political campaigns are all about generating publicity and public support, but Vice-President Biden seems to have upended conventional wisdom — not a first for him, of course — by making an under-the-radar visit to the motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Francis in Dubuque during a two-day campaign trip to Iowa last week. Why the secrecy, Joe? These days everybody loves the nuns. Yet while the media covered Biden’s various events as he appealed to the usual... Read more
Today the Latin church marks the feast of the celebrated “Doubting Thomas,” the skeptic who became a saint. Tradition holds that after the resurrection, St. Thomas the Apostle traveled to India. But what happened after that? Here’s a glimpse at the region he visited, from two years ago in the pages of ONE: “St. Thomas definitely landed on this very spot,” says Philomena Pappachan, caretaker of a chapel that marks where the doubting apostle arrived in southern India in... Read more
Ladies and gentlemen, the future is here (or, at least, in Britain): From today, all 148 rooms at the Hotel Indigo will contain a Kindle e-reader pre-loaded with a copy of the Bible. The hotel is claiming to be the first in Britain to offer such a service. Guests are also permitted to download a copy of any other religious text – to the value of £5 or less – during their stay. Regular fiction books can also be purchased,... Read more
A fascinating and timely piece by the good doctor, Pat McNamara: On the hot afternoon of July 2, 1863, the Union Army’s Irish Brigade, a unit composed predominantly of Catholic immigrants, waited for the order to go into action. It was the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, a three-day conflagration that saw over 50,000 casualties between both sides. The previous day, Robert E. Lee’s Confederates had driven the Union troops through the town of Gettysburg onto a hill... Read more
The new head of the CDF, Gerhard Muller, has written extensively on the priesthood and diaconate, and gave an interview 10 years ago that shed light on his strong feelings about women and the diaconate: Q: Is the diaconate a sacrament in its own right? Müller: The Church teaches clearly that the sacrament of orders is one of the seven sacraments of the Church; as the full exercise in the Holy Spirit of the mission, unique in its origin, of... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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